Tata zoo’s surgical edge

Tata Steel Zoological Park, Jamshedpur, has again emerged as a pioneer in animal care, thanks to the expertise of its vet Manik Palit.

Palit’s article describing a hernia operation, which he performed on a female black buck at the Tata Zoo in June 2013, has been published in Indian Zoo Yearbook, volume VII,of Central Zoo Authority. This will henceforth serve as a reference points for vets across the country.

The article was published in December 2013. The yearbook was despatched to Tata zoo earlier this month.

An excited Palit told The Telegraph about the procedure. “The five-year-old black buck was suffering from a hernia in the intestine. Surgery was the only remedy. It took me 30 minutes. We had to first net her and tranquillize her for the operation. She stayed in post-surgical care for 10 days,” he recalled.

Palit added the black buck was not only hale and hearty now, she was also pregnant.

“We sent a description of the operation procedure and post-surgical care and photographs to New Delhi-based Central Zoo Authority. We are happy the apex body chose to publish the article,” Palit, who passed with a first-class distinction from Bihar Veterinary College, Patna, in 1991, said.

This, however, is not the first time that seasoned vet Palit has made Tata zoo proud.

In 2012, he played a key role in developing the surgical protocol of vasectomy to control the population of zoo herbivores.

“Central Zoo Authority accepted the protocol and uploaded it on its website. Now, several vets are following the procedure to control population in wildlife hubs. I get regular calls from them,” he said.

Palit was also lauded by Romulus Whitaker, founder of Chennai Snake Park, for saving the life of pure-bred African lion cub Zoya after she was attacked by a white cobra in December 2, 2012, at the Tata zoo.